ISA briefs UK officials at British Embassy on cybersecurity for companies, corporate boards of directors

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Internet Security Alliance (ISA) President Larry Clinton today met with government officials from the United Kingdom at the British Embassy in Washington today to discuss how to improve awareness and understanding of cybersecurity at the corporate board level, part of ISA’s ongoing effort to promote cybersecurity best practices for boards of directors internationally.

Mr. Clinton briefed Paul Maddinson, the British Embassy’s Counsellor for Digital Security, and Yasmin Brooks, Director for Cyber Security and Data at the UK Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport (DCMS), on working with corporate boards on cybersecurity, as the UK government plans to do outreach on cybersecurity policy with UK companies and boards of directors.

This briefing included discussion of ISA’s “Managing Cyber Risk: A Handbook for UK Boards of Directors,” which ISA released in April at the National Association of Corporate Directors’ inaugural Global Cyber Forum in Geneva, Switzerland. The UK Handbook is based on the U.S. handbook developed by ISA and NACD, which PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) independently assessed as generating positive cybersecurity outcomes.

“Promoting these handbooks and continuing to encourage better board engagement on cybersecurity internationally is critical to addressing cyber threats worldwide,” Clinton said. “The principles detailed in these handbooks have prompted organizations to increase their cybersecurity budgets, improve risk management, and better align cybersecurity with overall business goals. While the publication of these handbooks is major step forward, it is pivotal that engagement with government partners and boards continues to maintain the progress made and facilitate continued cyber awareness at the board level.”

Coinciding with the release of the UK handbook in April, Clinton delivered remarks at a cybersecurity event at the U.S. Embassy in London and met with officials from the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), the UK’s primary cybersecurity agency.

ISA’s continued promotion of the handbooks will continue later this week, as Clinton will deliver a keynote address at the Command and Control conference in Munich, Germany on Friday. During that speech, Clinton will argue the need for boards to demand sophisticated economics-based risk assessments to make cybersecurity investment more efficient and effective.

About ISA: The Internet Security Alliance (ISA) is a trade association with members from virtually every critical industry sector. ISA’s mission is to integrate advanced technology with economics and public policy to create a sustainable system of cybersecurity. ISA pursues three goals: thought leadership, policy advocacy and promoting sound security practices. ISA’s “Cybersecurity Social Contract” has been embraced as the model for government policy by both Republicans and Democrats. ISA also developed the Cyber Risk Handbook for the National Association of Corporate Directors. For more information about ISA, please visit www.isalliance.org or 703-907-7090.